Participant Spotlight: Guerilla Science

Guerilla Science and Dr. Ayesha Nathoo are exploring states of rest and noise, tumult and stillness, and the health implications for increasingly busy lives as part of Hubbub, an international team of scientists, humanists, artists and broadcasters based in the Wellcome Collection, London.

Dr. Nathoo is a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow investigating the history of relaxation in twentieth-century Britain. She explores how relaxation practices have acquired therapeutic value in medical and popular arenas, particularly in relation to chronic-disease prevention, pain management and stress reduction.

Guerilla Science creates events and installations for festivals, museums, galleries, and other cultural clients. We are committed to connecting people with science in new ways, and producing live experiences that entertain, inspire, challenge and amaze.

At Wilderness (August 2015)

A History of Relaxation

Take a deep breath… and relax…ease into the history of therapeutic relaxation with cultural historian of medicine Ayesha Nathoo, and event producers Guerilla Science.

Let yourself unwind and hear how the idea of relaxation for health and wellbeing has changed over the last century. Join us as we embody some of the ways that have been used to achieve rest and reduce tension in this practical workshop that enlists techniques from meditation, physiotherapy and yoga.

2 Minute Interview

How do your workshops with NOW Live Events relate to being in the moment?

The workshop will present relaxation techniques from different periods and traditions all of which encourage and develop the idea of ‘being in the moment’ to enhance physical and mental wellbeing.

What are you most looking forward to doing within your NOW Live Events slot?

Giving participants a taster of therapeutic relaxation techniques and their wider historical context.

Any tips on how the audience can best benefit from your workshop with NOW Live Events?

Come with an open mind!

Guerilla Science’s Past Events with NOW

At Wilderness (August 2014)

Flavour Feast

Celebrate the manifold facets of flavour with a sensory smörgåsbord. Sample from the menu of taste tests with expert food scientists and explore the tantalizing mysteries of your senses in an event designed to focus you on the here and NOW.

Can you Hear Temperature?

Recent research at the Crossmodal Lab has demonstrated that humans are surprisingly good at hearing temperature. Audience members will be presented with a variety of different sounds of liquids being poured and will be asked to rate how hot or cold they think the drinks are. Potential applications for food and drink design will be discussed with the participants.

Taste, Smell, and Flavour

Most people are unaware of the considerable contribution of olfaction in flavour perception. Using jelly beans, we ask people to try them with their nose plugged and then unplugged. This way, people can experience the substantial role smell plays in the perception of food and drinks.

Multisensory Atmospherics and Drink Perception

We have recently conducted several experiments on the influence of different atmospheric cues in the wine and whisky drinking experience. Here, we plan to present three different (small) glasses of the same drink (whisky or wine) as if they were three distinct samples, and each one will be accompanied by different soundscapes. The idea is to show that environmental sounds can influence our perception of foods and drink, and that we can understand how this happens.

The Sound of Taste

Research from the Crossmodal Lab has provided evidence for the idea that people consistently match basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami) to specific sounds, and that these sounds can enhance the perception of taste attributes in foods and drinks. Here, we present different sounds and soundscapes used in our research and ask people to tell us which basic taste they associate with each.

Miracle Pills

The miracle pills contain an active compound called Miraculine that can change the way people perceive particular tastes. For instance, after taking one of these pills, a tart lemon tastes sweet. Here, our participants will be given both pills and lemons in order to demonstrate how the perception of taste can be altered and, more broadly speaking, how this can be used in order to design food experiences that disconfirm the expectations of the diners.

At Wilderness (August 2013)

Anatomical Life Drawing

Guerilla Science offer the unexpected to challenge negative misconceptions about science. Guerilla Science will be offering Anatomical Life Drawing within NOW Festival – an art lesson with a twist. For a unique blend of art and science, they will illustrate their model’s anatomy for you, painting her circulatory system, heart, lungs, spine and digestive system directly onto her naked skin. Appreciate the human form from the inside out like never before.